


Angel of Elysium

by FalconLord92



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Gen, Pyrrha Nikos Lives, Pyrrha Nikos-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2020-07-21 07:10:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19997932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalconLord92/pseuds/FalconLord92
Summary: Pyrrha Nikos wakes up in the colony of Mindoir during the Batarian raid. She doesn't know how she got there, but people are clearly in trouble, and she is a Huntress. Little does she know bigger threats will soon show themselves.





	1. Prologue: The Sacking of Mindoir

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Mass Effect is property of Bioware and EA Games. RWBY is property of Rooster Teeth Productions. Please support the official release.

_“Do you believe in destiny?” Pyrrha asked as Cinder drew an obsidian arrow._

_Cinder glared at the girl staring defiantly up at her, “Yes.” She released the bowstring, sinking an arrow into Pyrrha’s chest, smirking as the girl dissolved into nothing but dust and a tiara._

* * *

**_January 30, 2170_ **

**_Human Colony Mindoir_ **

Pyrrha gasped as her eyes shot open. She sat up and felt her chest, where Cinder shot her. There was no arrow, no blood, no scar. As she looked around, people were running and the air was thick with smoke. All she could hear… was screams and gunfire. There were bodies everywhere. Men, women, and children. As she stood, she heard heavy footsteps behind her as what felt like a gun barrel pressed into her head.

Pyrrha, slowly and calmly turned to see a strange looking man. He was bald and had four eyes, with nothing but slits where an actual nose would be. She looked around for anything she could use as a weapon.

Clearly, this “man” was going to try to capture and sell her or something. Quickly, she dropped to the ground and swept her legs under him, knocking him down. She grabbed his weapon and slammed it into his face, knocking him unconscious. She quickly studied the rifle. It seemed simple enough to use; she could sense a large block of metal where the magazine would be. Thinking fast, she fired off a few test rounds, to get a feel for the gun. Then, she ran out, casting an EM field around herself, to look for other people. Any time she ran into anyone with _four_ separate eyes, she fired; no hesitation, no regret. She’d failed at Beacon Tower, she would not fail here.

A group of people were hiding out in what seemed to be a small cafe. “Is everyone alright?” she asked. An older, red haired woman nodded. “Why are those men attacking?”

“They’re Batarians,” said the red-haired woman. “They raid colonies and take whoever they can as slaves. They took my daughter, Jane.”

“I’ll find her. I need you all to stay here,” Pyrrha said, “I’ll do what I can to find other survivors here, alright?” 

Without looking back, she ran back into the streets, firing at any Batarians she came across. Any humans she ran into were told to go to the cafe for safety. She tried to focus her Semblance into a polarity field surrounding her body, to try and keep from getting shot.

Eventually, she came to a half-collapsed building with a ship near it. She made her way in, carefully moving things in her way. She could hear what sounded like more Batarians muttering. She looked around and saw a shard of a mirror. With a gesture, she pulled it toward her and peered around the corner. She saw three of them and a young girl with bright red hair who looked very similar to Jane’s mother. She seemed unconscious but otherwise unharmed. Pyrrha quickly made note of where the Batarians were and set the mirror shard down.

She took a deep breath, double checking her gun, before rising quickly and opening fire, taking cover as they returned fire. She really wasn’t used to this; she’d never been in a firefight before and this was getting out of hand. She had to get to the girl. _This would be_ so _much easier if I had Miló and Akoúo̱…_

She popped up again to fire at the alien closest to the girl, managing to score a headshot. She threw her hand out and pulled at the air, the remaining Batarians’ guns were pulled from their grip and against the wall behind her. She quickly took advantage of their confusion and fired, killing both of them. Keeping an eye out for more Batarians she cautiously moved toward the girl.

She checked the girl for injuries and picked her up leaving the building to go back to the cafe. Soon, she could hear the roar of engines and the thunder of large gun turrets, and she encountered fewer and fewer Batarians until all she saw were bodies. As she made her way back to the cafe, she could see the surviving Batarians retreating to their ships and taking off.

Getting back to the cafe, she gently laid the girl on the floor next to her mother, who promptly cried with relief that her daughter was okay. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost my Jane…”

Pyrrha flushed at the praise, “I only did what was right ma’am.”

She staggered over to a booth and passed out, her aura exhausted and her energy spent.


	2. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha awakens on an Alliance vessel, and the true gravity of her situation sinks in.

**_February 1, 2170_ **

**_Infirmary, SSV Tokyo_ **

**_En Route to Arcturus Station_ **

She woke up several hours later, in what seemed to be an infirmary; blinking lights and medical readouts everywhere. Her chest and ankle felt sore where Cinder’s arrows hit her. She noticed that she’d been undressed and redressed in some kind of casualwear. She now wore a fairly comfortable t-shirt and sweatpants.

A woman entered the infirmary. She was older, but not yet fully grey. She smiled as she noticed Pyrrha awake. Something glowed on her arm as she seemed to push buttons . “Our mysterious hero is awake,” she said in what sounded like a high Mistrali accent.

“That was quite the impressive display, young lady,” the woman said as she turned to Pyrrha. “Captain Anderson and I saw the footage of you fighting off Batarians. No sign of biotic energy, yet you seemed to be throwing them around like they were nothing without even touching them. I’m Doctor Karin Chakwas, by the way. What is your name?”

“My name is Pyrrha Nikos. May I ask where I am?” Pyrrha asked.

“That’s an easy enough question to answer,” the doctor replied. “You’re in the infirmary onboard the  _ SSV Tokyo, _ an Alliance vessel.”

“Alliance? I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with any Alliance…”

Dr. Chakwas looked concerned, “The Systems Alliance? Humanity’s military and exploratory service?”

“I’m sorry,” Pyrrha lamented. “I have a feeling I’m a long way from home.”

“And where are you from, Miss Nikos,” the doctor asked. “None of the Mindoir survivors recall seeing you before the raid. By the way, Hannah Shepard sends her regards and hopes you’ll be able to visit. You did a good thing.”

Pyrrha’s cheeks flushed from the praise. “I’m from a country called Mistral, specifically the city of Argus.”

“And where is Mistral? What planet is that on?” the doctor asked.

The door to the infirmary opened with a  _ hiss _ and a dark skinned man walked in. He had an air of experience about him. He carried a tray of food. Doctor Chakwas turned to greet the man and went back to her office.

“Captain Anderson, this is Pyrrha Nikos,” Chakwas introduced her. “Pyrrha, this is Captain David Anderson. He is in command of the  _ Tokyo. _ ”

The captain sat down on the bed next to Pyrrha’s, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss Nikos,” he said handing Pyrrha the tray. “I can’t thank you enough, for what you did on Mindoir, you saved a lot of lives.”

Pyrrha nodded her thanks for the food, “I only did what I’ve been trained to do: Protect the innocent and fight evil. Those… Batarians… were killing innocents or worse. They had to be stopped.”

“You’re definitely right about that, Pyrrha,” the captain agreed. “I’d like to know how you did that. If you don’t mind. No biotics to speak of yet you were throwing Batarians around like they were nothing. You seem to have been well trained, very few untrained civilians can move like that. Hell, I’ve never seen any soldiers move like that. May I ask where you received your training?”

“My world is called Remnant,” Pyrrha replied, between bites of oatmeal. “It is home to four kingdoms: Mistral, Atlas, Vale, and Vacuo. I hail from the kingdom of Mistral, but for the past year or so, I’d been living in Vale for school. I studied at Beacon Academy, where Huntsmen and Huntresses are taught to fight monsters and protect the innocent. I suppose you’ve never heard of Remnant though… ”

“I’m unfamiliar with Remnant,” Anderson said, seeming confused.

Pyrrha’s heart sank. Any hope of being taken back to her friends… to Jaune evaporated. “I see…” she set her barely touched food tray aside. 

“I’m sorry, Miss Nikos. Pyrrha,” the captain said, sincerely. “I’ll ensure you have some place to stay for now. Please, if there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Anderson got up and, after placing a comforting hand on Pyrrha’s shoulder, left without another word, leaving Pyrrha to really focus on what exactly had happened in the past two days.

Her eyes watered As everything sank in and Pyrrha fully understood her situation. She was never going home. Her parents, her friends, Jaune, she was never going to see them again. She had never felt so alone before. All the emotion and pressure that had built up over the past week started to bubble up and finally exploded. A cry of anguish escaped from Pyrrha as her power exploded around her. The walls buckled inward and the biobeds were crushed. Her tray of food went flying and slammed into the wall as she sank to the floor.

As Doctor Chakwas came to see what all the noise was, she was shocked to see the state of the infirmary, as Pyrrha sobbed on the floor. As she left the room, to give the girl time, she heard a quiet, “I’m sorry…”

* * *

The next morning, Doctor Chakwas and Captain Anderson cautiously entered the infirmary, and were shocked to see nearly everything back to normal, as if their guest hadn’t just let loose a Singularity. Pyrrha was sitting on one of the less damaged biobeds, seemingly meditating. Pyrrha turned to them as they approached. 

“Good morning,” she wore a sad smile on her face; she was intent on at least remaining cordial with the ones who had taken her in. “I’m sorry for my outburst yesterday, I’m normally much more composed… I did what I could to restore your infirmary.”

“Miss Nikos,” spoke Anderson quietly. “That was quite a display of power… I’d like to thank you for fixing our infirmary. I won’t hold it against you; you’ve been through a lot. Now that you’re awake again, Dr. Chakwas needs to examine you, if you don’t mind.”

“This won’t be anything invasive;” Dr. Chakwas assured. “I’ve already done blood work and other things. All seems fairly normal, aside from the odd blood type, but I’d put that towards your different origins. Mostly this will be a physical fitness test. I’d like to see if your ordeals have had any effects on your body.

Pyrrha nodded her assent. “I’d be happy to cooperate any way I can.”

She slid off the bed and stood. Though somewhat unsteady, she followed Doctor Chakwas to 

* * *

Doctor Chakwas’s examination was just as she said, physical capabilities. First, she was made to run on a treadmill; starting from a walk, to a jog, and then a full run. They noted there was a slight limp in Pyrrha’s right leg, which Chakwas chalked up to a psychosomatic side effect of being shot in the ankle and the trauma of the battle at Beacon.

Next she was made to lift weights and perform basic calisthenics. The testing lasted most of the morning and, by the end, Pyrrha was exhausted.

* * *

At lunch, Pyrrha sat with Dr. Chakwas and Captain Anderson as the doctor went over her results.

“According to these results, Pyrrha, you’re physically fit,” Chakwas said. “Beyond physically fit. One hundred meters in twelve seconds? A max bench press of 226 kg? I didn’t find anything resembling steroids or augmentations in your examinations. I can’t explain how you could be capable of this.

“But somehow you are… You’re as strong as the average Krogan and faster than the average Turian, but everything about you says you’re human. It’s incredible! If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you were a super soldier…”

Anderson raised an eyebrow, “Is everyone from Remnant like this or are you a special case?”

Pyrrha shook her head.

“Only those with their Aura unlocked have these enhancements.” At the confused look on their faces, Pyrrha continued, “Aura is the manifestation of one’s soul It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. With practice, our Aura can be our shield. By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura. You protect yourself and your soul when fighting. This was how I was ‘shrugging off bullets’ as you put it, Captain.

“But even Aura has limits. Go too long without rest and your Aura will break. If I run out of Aura, I can still fight, but I won’t be able to use my Semblance and will be limited in my physical capabilities. I’m only as fast and strong as I am because of my Aura.”

“That’s fascinating, Pyrrha!” Chakwas exclaimed.

Anderson nodded, “It really is. Not to sound like a recruiter, but that’s exactly the sort of thing we could use in the Navy. That’s entirely up to you of course, but you should consider it. You’d be working to defend humanity and our allies.”

“May I have some time to consider the decision?” 

“Of course. Take all the time you need.” Anderson stated. He stood to excuse himself, “I’ll be in my office. Feel free to have Dr. Chakwas send for me once you make your choice.”


	3. Thirteen Years Later...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been 13 years since Pyrrha woke on Mindoir. Her life is about to get a bit more interesting.

**_November 7, 2183_ **

**_Bridge, SSV Normandy_ **

**_En route to Eden Prime_ **

_ “Well, what about Nikos? She grew up in the colonies.” _

_ “She knows how tough life can be out there. Her family was killed when slavers attacked Mindoir.”  _

_ “She proved herself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived.” _

_ “She’s the  _ only _ reason Elysium is still standing” _

_ “We can’t question her courage… Or her skill, for that matter…” _

_ “Humanity needs a hero… and Nikos is the best we’ve got. She’s the best of all of us.” _

_ “I’ll make the call.” _

* * *

_ ”The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence.” _

Pyrrha heard Joker’s voice over the intercom as she approached the bridge, nodding to her crewmates as she passed. Some saluted her, but she paid them no mind. She was used to the hero worship at this point.

_ “We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination. The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector. All stations: Secure for transit.” _

As she got to the cockpit, taking a spot next to Nihlus, the Turian SpecTRe.

“The board is green. Approach run has begun. Hitting the relay in 3… 2… 1…”

She saw space distort outside the ship, signalling that the  _ Normandy _ had just jumped through the mass relay. She nodded to Lieutenant Alenko when he noticed her approach. Normal space reformed around the ship as they exited the relay.

Joker, the pilot checked the ships status, “Thrusters, check. Navigation, check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under 1500 K.”

Nihlus nodded, seemingly satisfied, “1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased.” He turned to leave, nodding to Pyrrha as he left.

“I hate that guy…” Joker said, once the SpecTRe was out of earshot.

Kaidan raised an eyebrow, “Nihlus gave you a compliment… so you hate him?”

The pilot nodded. “You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That’s good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that’s incredible. Besides, SpecTRes are trouble. I don’t like having them on board. Call me paranoid.”

“You’re paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment.”

Joker rolled his eyes, “Yeah, that’s the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story.”

“I agree with you on that, Joker,” Pyrrha said. “There’s no way they sent Nihlus just to observe a shakedown run.”

“So, there’s more going on here than the captain’s letting on.”

_ “Joker! Status report!”  _ Anderson’s voice came over the comms.

“Just cleared the mass relay, sir,” Joker replied. “Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid.”

_ “Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime. _

Joker nodded, “Aye, sir. Better brace yourself, though. I think Nihlus is heading your way.”

_ “He’s already here, Flight Lieutenant.” _

Pyrrha had to resist the urge to swat Joker upside the head.

_ “Tell Commander Nikos to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing.” _

“On my way, sir,” Pyrrha acknowledged, turning to head back.

“He sounds angry,” Kaidan observed. “Something must have gone wrong with the mission.”

Joker scoffed, “Captain always sounds like that when he’s talking to me…”

“I can’t possibly imagine why.”

* * *

As she entered the comm room, she saw that Nihlus was alone.

“Commander Nikos,” Nihlus greeted. “I was hoping you’d get here first. It gives us a chance to talk.”

“What about?” Pyrrha asked.

“I’m interested in this world we’re going to — Eden Prime. I’ve heard it’s quite beautiful.”

“It is. I’ve been there. It’s quite the paradise.”

“Yes… a paradise,” the Turian seemed ponderous. “Serene… tranquil… safe.. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn’t it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but can also protect those colonies. But how safe is it really?”

“What do you mean?” Pyrrha asked. “Do you know something?”

“Your people are still newcomers, Nikos. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?”

They turned as the door opened to admit Captain Anderson.

“I’m fairly certain you saw what happened during the Blitz, Nihlus,” the captain said. “Is that really a question you need to ask? I think it’s about time we told the commander what was really going on.”

“Sir?”

“This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run,” Nihlus said.

Pyrrha rolled her eyes, “Well, that was obvious from the moment you came onboard, Nihlus.”

“We’re making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime,” Anderson said. “That’s why we needed the stealth systems operational.”

“What are we picking up, sir?”

Anderson looked more serious than usual. “This comes down from the top, Commander. Information strictly on a need-to-know basis. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean.”

“Really?!” Pyrrha had studied the Protheans briefly before she enlisted. “That’s amazing! Do we know what it’s for?”

Anderson shook his head. “No, but this is big, Pyrrha. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. Unfortunately, Eden Prime doesn’t have the facilities for something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study.”

_ That _ got Pyrrha’s attention. She hadn’t been to the Citadel in a while.  _ I’ll have to see if Tela is there. _

“Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad you’re here to assist, Nihlus,” Pyrrha said.

“That’s not the only reason I’m here, Nikos.”

Anderson nodded, “Nihlus wants to see you in action, Pyrrha. He’s here to evaluate you.”

“You mean..?” Pyrrha was shocked. “The Council wants  _ me _ for the SpecTRes?”

Nihlus nodded. “No one else has ever done what you have, Nikos. You nearly single handedly held back the Blitz. You’ve been in the spotlight for only a short time but you’re already considered a legend. Even the Hierarchy knows you as the Angel of Elysium.

“But I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Hopefully, Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together.”

_ “Captain! We’ve got a big problem!” _ Joker’s voice came over the shipcomm.

“What is it, Joker?”

_ “Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!” _

“Put it on screen.”

Pyrrha looked at the screen as it fizzled to life. She could see what appeared to be a rocky region of Eden Prime. There was yelling and gunfire. The air was filled with smoke. She was instantly reminded of her arrival on Mindoir. A soldier in pink came close to the feed.

_ “This is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties! I repeat: HEAVY CASUALTIES! We need immediate evacuation! They came out of nowhere! We need-!” _

An explosion went off as Williams was knocked out of view. The camera panned up as something came into view… It seemed like fingers reaching through the clouds… Something about it chilled Pyrrha to the bone. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew something terrible had just happened. All she could think of was her last night at Beacon.


End file.
